19.3.17

US presidential adviser Kellyanne Conway said in a recent interview that she would rather die than do the job of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

Conway made it clear in rather colorful language that she enjoys being new US President Donald Trump's top aide and that she wouldn't exchange her role in the White House for doing press briefings.

"Slit my wrists, bleed out, put cement shoes on, jump off the bridge, and then I'll take the job — are you kidding me?" she told New York Magazine.

According to the counselor, she especially appreciates the opportunity to be close to the president and "bend his ear at any time".

"When I want to talk to [Trump,] I go talk to him," Conway explained.

The remarks came as Conway recounted a media appearance she did hours before General Michael Flynn resigned as Trump's national security adviser, when she said Flynn had the president's "full confidence."

Conway also talked about the "alternative facts" line that she was harshly criticized for in the media. In January, she said in defense of Spicer that he gave "alternative facts" when he inaccurately described the Trump inauguration crowd as "the largest ever."

"Two plus two is four. Three plus one is four. Partly cloudy, partly sunny. Glass half full, glass half empty. Those are alternative facts," she said.

As for Spicer, he earlier pointed out that people seem to forget that representing somebody's standpoint and speaking for yourself are not the same thing.

"What people sometimes don't appreciate is you're answering on behalf of somebody whom you're speaking for, so you're representing their point of view, the issues that they care about, and that's a very different thing than answering for yourself," he said.

Conway has been given a great deal of credit for the success of Trump's presidential campaign. She was initially hired in July 2016, with the US presidential election campaign in full swing, to help Trump appeal to female voters. Within a month she had become his campaign manager, and a few weeks later, Trump was nearly tied with Democrat Hillary Clinton in the polls.

Conway quickly developed a dedicated following among Trump supporters and often appears on TV as the face of the new administration. According to the adviser, she was offered the position of press secretary during the transition period but "politely declined" the offer.